A catholic school in Eltham has been found to contain dangerous concrete that is at risk of collapse.

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive is amongst the 156 schools in England that have been identified as having this kind of material which has been deemed as potentially dangerous.

Raac concrete, a lightweight building material commonly used between the 1950s and mid-1990s, but has now been deemed a risk for sudden collapse.

As a result, the school will be partially closed to ensure the safety of its students.

The areas affected by the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) include the hall, gym, canteen, drama studio, and the boys' and girls' toilets.

The school is making arrangements to open mobile toilet blocks and hire a marquee to serve as a space for students to eat and prepare food.

A statement on the school’s website reads: “St Thomas More was inspected during the Summer term and was found to have RAAC in the school hall.

“At the time we were advised that this was not an issue and the school could operate as normal with annual visits by structural engineers.

“However, now that the advice has changed, schools will not be able to use any areas that have RAAC in them, or any rooms below areas affected by RAAC.

“For St Thomas More that includes, the Hall, Gym, Canteen, drama studio, Alps and most importantly the boys’ and girls’ toilets.

“We therefore will be acquiring mobile toilet blocks to be used by the students until a solution for the RAAC is found.

“This is now our priority, but as we were only informed in a meeting this morning of the implications of the RAAC, we are unsure of the timescale that this will involve.

We are also looking to hire a marquee as a space for the students to eat and prepare food.

“It may be necessary for students to bring packed lunch for a short period of time.

“At the present time, the school will be open to students as planned from Tuesday 5 September for the new Year 7s and Wednesday 6 September for all students.”

The Department for Education has reached out to 156 educational settings that are believed to contain Raac, out of which 52 have already taken protective measures.

However, the government has not yet released a comprehensive list of all the affected schools.

While it is not confirmed, it is estimated that around 24 schools in England have been asked to close entirely due to the presence of Raac.

The government aims to ensure that any disruption caused by the closure of affected buildings is kept to a minimum.

Pandemic-style learning, similar to what was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, should only last for a few days rather than weeks, according to the Department for Education.

In guidance published by the department, it suggests utilizing nearby schools, community centres, or empty local office buildings as temporary substitutes for classrooms while structural supports are installed to mitigate the risk of collapse.

The department emphasizes that remote education should be considered as a last resort and only for a short period.

In a statement on Saturday, the DfE said: “We are incredibly grateful to school and college leaders for their work with us at pace to make sure that where children are affected, disruption is kept to a minimum, and in the even rarer cases where remote learning is required, it is for a matter of days not weeks.”

The DfE expressed gratitude towards school and college leaders for their cooperation in minimizing disruption for affected students.

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive has been approached for further comment.